Oort Sphere

Scene ‣ Solar System ‣ Comets ‣ Oort Cloud ‣ Oort Sphere

Overview

The Oort Sphere is a diagrammatic representation of the Oort Cloud where it is most dense. The Oort Cloud is a diffuse distribution of icy planetesimals, so one sphere cannot represent it accurately. However, this sphere has utility in that it shows the scale of the outer reaches of the Solar System—the extent of our star system within the Milky Way.

A wire-framed sphere surrounding the Sun representing the Oort Cloud.

A diagrammatic representation of the Oort Cloud. This wire-framed sphere is located at one of the concentrations of mass, about 50,000 Astronomical Units from the Sun. The cloud is diffuse and could extend out to 100,000 AU or more.

The radius of the wire-framed Oort Sphere is 50,000 AU, which is where a central concentration is believed to exist. Fifty thousand astronomical units is equal to about 10 light months, which is 0.8 light years, or 4.8 trillion miles. Keep in mind, though, that the Oort Cloud is at least 100,000 AU thick.

Now, imagine a similar sphere around each star. Of course, the sphere’s size would scale to the type of star at its center, but we can imagine each star with a bevy of planets, and a similar sphere delineating its own cloud of icy planetesimals. Would any two overlap?

The Oort cloud is the last outpost of the Solar System. Beyond it is the gas of the interstellar medium through which the Sun, planets, and comets move as they orbit the Galaxy once every 225 million years.

Dossier

Census:

1 wire-framed sphere

Asset File:

data/assets/scene/digitaluniverse/oort_cloud.asset

OpenSpace Version:

3

Reference:

Not applicable

Prepared by:

Brian Abbott, Carter Emmart (AMNH)

Source Version:

2.01

License:

AMNH’s Digital Universe